1. Elaborate on your default icon.Essentially, it's me doing something I love in spite of the weather, on a particularly significant New Year's Day. The full story is here.

2. What's your current relationship status?Single and with no desire to change that.

3. Ever have a near-death experience?No, and I don't think I've ever really been in serious danger of dying, either. I've been pretty ill a couple of times, including one quite dramatic entry into hospital, but that's all.

4. Name an obvious quality you have.Not doing too badly in the brains department.

5. What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now?Er, not too sure. I think it's an instrumental section from something by Handel, but I only really have one tiny phrase in my head - not enough to work out the rest of it.

6. Name a celebrity you would marry:I think Stephen Fry definitely fits the bill there! I'm pretty sure it would be a non-sexual relationship by mutual agreement, but just generally getting to live with him and spend lots of time talking with him would be ace.

7. Who will cut and paste this first?I'm not sure anyone will. Maybe captainlucy?

8. Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity?I was once compared to Siouxsie of 'The Banshees' fame - although that was ages ago, and I had black back-combed hair and was wearing black and purple PVC at the time. Then again, I've also been compared to Charles Hawtree... :-( If anyone has any more up-to-date / flattering suggestions, I'm listening!

9. Do you wear a watch? What kind?Yes, a beautiful sparkly one covered in Swarovski crystals, which a lot of people don't realise is a watch at first, and think is a pretty bracelet instead. It looks like this, except that the crystals inside each link are lilac instead of clear.

10. Do you have anything pierced?Yes - three holes in one ear, four in the other and one in my belly button.

11. Do you have any tattoos?No, and don't want one. There's just no one symbol that means so much to me that I want it permanently engraved on my body - especially given that even the best tattoos do look kinda dodgy after 20 years or so.

12. Do you like pain?Not for its own sake, no.

13. Do you like to shop?I like the things I get by shopping, but don't particularly enjoy the actual process.

14. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?An orange juice while out shopping on Saturday afternoon with Cie.

15. What was the last thing you paid for with your credit card?My shopping in Sainsbury's this morning. Although strictly, that was a debit card - I don't actually have a credit card, because it's an extortionate way to borrow money, and a debit card offers the same convenience.

16. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?Dad yesterday afternoon, about flat-buying stuff.

17. What is on your desktop background?Lord Summerisle, speaking his "A heathen conceivably, but not, I hope, an unenlightened one" line in The Wicker Man.

18. What is the background on your cell phone?Alessandro Moreschi, aged c. 25 - the second picture from the left on my colour bar, except not orange.

19. Do you like redheads?Well, yes - if they're nice people. Not just because their hair is red, though.

20. Do you know any twins?Er, I can't think of any just now. I've a vague idea that I know someone who has a twin, but I don't really know the twin. Obviously it's not had much impact on me, though, since I can't even be sure who that person might be.

21. Do you have any weird relatives?Not outrageously weird - just normal-human-being weird.

22. What was the last movie you watched?Farinelli: il Castrato, which BBC4 showed recently in connection with their documentary on the castrati. I'd seen it years ago and remembered it being dreadful, but thought I'd give it another try now that I know so much more about both Farinelli and Handel (who appears as a character in the film). My verdict? What a pile of unadulterated tripe - I was right about it first time round!

23. What was the last book you read?A Short History of The British School At Rome by Peter Wiseman. Excellent book, really enjoyed it.

Quite! The other really unflattering person I've been compared to is Irma Prunesquallor. That one's particularly nasty because, my confidence about my looks is pretty undentable,* but of course so is Irma's...

* I don't think I'm Helen of Troy or anything, but I'm confident that if you find skinny redheads attractive you'll find me attractive, and that there are always plenty of people around who find skinny redheads attractive.

Thanks! I guess the Mithraeum aspect would have a particular appeal for you. :)

On Farinelli, yes, I've seen it, and feel pretty uncomfortable about it actually. I've lived with the study of human remains and related issues for years in the context of my work, and never had a problem with it. But I'm suddenly finding out that that must have been largely because the subjects were individually anonymous, and their personal history had been lost to time.

For the first time ever, in this case, I find myself experiencing grave (boom-boom!) doubts and misgivings, not to say actual anger. The poor guy was already castrated in his lifetime - I find myself wondering whether we really need to dig him up now he's dead as well. And to learn what - that he had longer-than-average bones and a large chest cavity? We know that already from contemporary reports and drawings, to say nothing of photographs of later castrati. Some reports actually show photographs of his disinterred bones, which a) demonstrate that there isn't much else left to study and b) seems to me incredibly intrusive.

It's having a personal knowledge of the subject that's made the difference for me. Suddenly I realise that if we actually had, say, bones known to have belonged to the emperor Claudius, I'd feel much the same about them as I do about Farinelli. It may not be that logical a stance, but it's how I feel.

And if they try to come for my Alessandro, they will have to unchain me from his gravestone first... *growls like a protective tigress*

Oh, and no, it didn't prompt the documentary, although they did cover it as a possible future project - obviously it was shot a little while before the deed was done.

Um, no - she looks nothing like you! Did you have a similar hair-style to her at one point or something? I can't think of any other reason people would mistake you for her. You have a completely different mouth, nose and general face shape.

All I can think of is we both had dark hair when she was in Emmerdale. Oh well at least people didn't mistake me for the fat one from Emmerdale (not that I watch the programme but I was aware there was a fat one in it).

The nice ones have generally been quite flattering: Sophie Moreau, Brigitte Bardot (quite a lot when I was blonde), Vanessa Paradis and someone once said I looked like "a Frence actress" but they didn't know which one. So generally a French actress theme, which is cool as I think their style is gorgeous.

Oh and Geri Halliwell when she had long hair. That comparison I did not like so much :(

Ooh, I can definitely see that the Vanessa Paradis comparison would be a winner with you, because I remember how much you liked her in your late teens. And although I don't think you look massively like her, I can see the point there much more than I can with that Emmerdale actress!